Grammar Rules
by Neko-Salosa
Summary: Not so much a crossover as a fic with lots of different shows in it. For every rule I use a different show or book or cartoon for an example. For those of you who are new to fiction and need a helper or for people who want to refer newbies to a rule list.


_Hello, ladies and gentleman. I'm going to take a break from my usual ficcing to bring you this little tidbit, because I can no longer keep quiet. I'm also going to continually break 4th wall with this. SO in the wonder that is crossing over for no apparent reason I will now present to you, grammar and generic fic rules everyone should know, just to say you know them. Thank you._

_If you find anything wrong in this fic that you think I should edit or change, please PM me or ask in review and I will do my best. Thanks a lot! _

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**Rule #1.** As illustrated by the Danny Phantom crew. 

_'Your' and 'you're' are two different words, with two different meanings._

Danny walked into the Cineplex with Sam and Tucker. He pointed at Sam's backpack and laughed a little. "**Your** homework is falling out," he said with a grin.

Sam rolled her eyes and stuffed it back into her backpack violently. "Maybe if they didn't give us so much homework. **You're** so lucky that you have Jazz to back you up on nights you don't get home on time to finish."

Danny shrugged. "Trust me, being tutored by her isn't all it's cracked up to be," he replied dryly as they paid for their tickets and walked into the darkened hall to the theatre that was pointed out to them.

_As seen by this blurb, 'your' is a reference to an object that belongs to the object of the sentence. 'Your shoes, your dress, your whatever.' 'You're' is a contraction of the words 'you' and 'are'. So when using 'you're' say 'you are' in your head and see if it fits. 'You're the best, you're really good at that, etc.'_

* * *

**Rule #2.** As illustrated by the Teen Titans. 

_A lot is two different words._

Robin has had a lot of trouble leading since Raven and Beast Boy began fighting and he intended to find out why if it took him all week.

* * *

**Rule #3. **As illustrated by the Invader Zim cast. 

_When a new character speaks, a new paragraph begins. When a new idea comes around, a new paragraph begins. When an explanation is finished, start a new paragraph._

Zim jumped out of the smoldering remains of his Voot Cruiser and pointed an accusing finger at Dib. "YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE YOU SMELLY HEADED PIG FACE!" he screeched loudly.

Dib lowered the energy scrambler gun that he had used on the Irken's ship and grinned widely. "Duh!" he replied. "I'm trying to defeat you, remember?"

Zim glared at Dib with hate in his eyes, then he glared at the gun in Dib's hands. The gun was a thing of ingenious, Zim had to admit. It took powerful electromagnetic rays and concentrated them on a single area, disrupting the electrical field of whatever it was aimed at. However, Zim knew that Dib had to be quite sure of himself before firing off something like that. He snarled as he realized that Dib's battle capabilities were rising. The human had been practicing.

Zim backed up away from his enemy, growling but not replying. He knew he was in trouble, now he just had to get out of it.

Dib leveled the gun and Zim's Pak and his grin grew wider by several centimeters. "Well alien scum, any last words?" he asked.

_First two paragraphs are examples of the speech rule. Second paragraph is an explanation and the third paragraph is an 'idea.' Zim does not talk in it, but the paragraph after it is used as a point to illustrate Dib's point of view. So it's easier to split the fourth and fifth paragraphs because they contain separate ideas, rather then separate bits of dialogue._

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**Rule #4.** As illustrated by the Naruto group. 

_Not exactly grammar but a noted fic rule. Paragraph spacing. If you are going to write, make a new paragraph by either double spacing as seen above, or indentation. To show the differences I will write and space one scene in two ways. Indenting is nigh impossible on this site though and not worth the trouble.  
_

1st Double Space

Naruto flopped lazily onto his back and stared at the sky, unblinkingly. He was tired after training so hard and the idea of a hot bowl of ramen was particularly appealing to him at the moment.

A shadow cast over Naruto's features briefly and the blonde looked up and frowned at the one who dared to obstruct his view.

Hinata shifted uncomfortably under his scrutinizing gaze and blushed. "Um…" she whispered. "Tsunade-sama wishes to see you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto sighed and sat up. "That old lady always has something," he sighed exasperatedly. He stood up with a faked tremendous effort and stretched his arms above his head. "Oh well," he muttered with a shrug. "May as well go so she doesn't yell at me."

Hinata watched as Naruto started to walk away from her towards the Hokage's office. She shook her head sadly and turned to leave before Naruto suddenly turned around with a small grin on his face. "Want to come with me?" he asked. "Maybe she won't be quite so loud if you're there."

Hinata turned to face Naruto, her own cheeks glowing a bright red. "S-sure!" she stuttered out before quickening her own pace to catch up with Naruto's. Naruto grinned down at her as they started to walk towards Tsunade's office together.

--

2nd (try not to do this) No spacing at all.

Naruto flopped lazily onto his back and stared at the sky, unblinkingly. He was tired after training so hard and the idea of a hot bowl of ramen was particularly appealing to him at the moment. A shadow cast over Naruto's features briefly and the blonde looked up and frowned at the one who dared to obstruct his view. Hinata shifted uncomfortably under his scrutinizing gaze and blushed. "Um…" she whispered. "Tsunade-sama wishes to see you, Naruto-kun." Naruto sighed and sat up. "That old lady always has something," he sighed exasperatedly. He stood up with a faked tremendous effort and stretched his arms above his head. "Oh well," he muttered with a shrug. "May as well go so she doesn't yell at me." Hinata watched as Naruto started to walk away from her towards the Hokage's office. She shook her head sadly and turned to leave before Naruto suddenly turned around with a small grin on his face. "Want to come with me?" he asked. "Maybe she won't be quite so loud if you're there." Hinata turned to face Naruto, her own cheeks glowing a bright red. "S-sure!" she stuttered out before quickening her own pace to catch up with Naruto's. Naruto grinned down at her as they started to walk towards Tsunade's office together.

_ It's very difficult to read something if it's all bunched together, as you can see above. Just be careful with however you choose to space._

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**Rule #5.** As demonstrated by the Bleach cast. 

_Another general fic rule. Mark your scene changes with something, otherwise your text becomes very confusing to read. You can use HTML to make a line or the -- or OoO to mark it, but scene changes that are marked make the reading of a fic go much smoother.  
_

_To show the difference, I'll post the same scene twice. Once with breaks and once without._

Rukia jumped into the air and barely avoided getting impaled on the wrong end of Ichigo's blade. She landed a few feet away and pulled out her own sword and lunged at the red head with great force. Their swords clashed and grated down until they were hilt to hilt.

Ichigo grinned as he realized he was in a superior position to Rukia and began to push down on her sword hilt with his own, forcing the smaller woman to her knees. Urahara stepped forward, clapping his hands amiably to end the mock battle. "That's enough. Let's get some tea," he said cheerfully. The two death gods nodded and backed off of one another.

* * *

Rukia sipped her tea politely while Ichigo clumsily sipped on the ridiculously hot liquid. Rukia caught his eye and grinned forcing the taller boy to look away, blushing. "It's hot," he said sullenly. 

Rukia nodded, "I know," she replied as she finished off the tea and poured some more. "But I like it that way."

Ichigo merely stared as she began to sip quietly and steadily on her second cup then looked down at his own, half finished cup. He swallowed his lifted it to his lips, once again trying to quaff the scalding liquid.

Rukia hid a smile as she continued to drink her own tea. Ichigo was never much the tea drinker anyways.

_And without the break._

Rukia jumped into the air and barely avoided getting impaled on the wrong end of Ichigo's blade. She landed a few feet away and pulled out her own sword and lunged at the red head with great force. Their swords clashed and grated down until they were hilt to hilt.

Ichigo grinned as he realized he was in a superior position to Rukia and began to push down on her sword hilt with his own, forcing the smaller woman to her knees. Urahara stepped forward, clapping his hands amiably to end the mock battle. "That's enough. Let's get some tea," he said cheerfully. The two death gods nodded and backed off of one another.

Rukia sipped her tea politely while Ichigo clumsily sipped on the ridiculously hot liquid. Rukia caught his eye and grinned forcing the taller boy to look away, blushing. "It's hot," he said sullenly.

Rukia nodded, "I know," she replied as she finished off the tea and poured some more. "But I like it that way."

Ichigo merely stared as she began to sip quietly and steadily on her second cup then looked down at his own, half finished cup. He swallowed his lifted it to his lips, once again trying to quaff the scalding liquid.

Rukia hid a smile as she continued to drink her own tea. Ichigo was never much the tea drinker anyways.

_Not quite as prominent as some, but it gets the point across. It's just easier to digest things when there is a sign that a scene is about to change._

* * *

**Rule #6.** As demonstrated by the Ben 10 cast. 

_Another grammar one. It's and its. Its is the possessive form of it, so when it possesses something, you use its. Not it's. It's is a contraction of the words it and is. Again, when you use it's think of it in its separate words and see if it fits._

"Heads up!" Ben yelled to his cousin. "**It's **coming your way!"

Gwen turned sharply and just barely managed to bop the volleyball back over to Ben. She grinned as the boy stumbled forward to try and return the hit.

Ben got underneath the ball and hit it as hard as he could. He could hear **its** old leather creaking as it took the force of the hit and arced back to Gwen.

Gwen jumped up and spiked the ball back over the net while Ben was still on the ground. Ben watched it bounce away then turned to glare at the gloating red head. "So?" she asked. "Up for another round?"

Ben laughed and ran over to pick up the ball. "Always," he replied.

_So, for example. "It's here, it's up, it's too far away, and it's ugly." And in contrast, "its face, its feelings, its ball, and its space."_

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**Rule #7. **As illustrated by the Rockman.EXE cast. (Or, Megaman NT warrior to the people who are dub fans. I use Japanese names though.) 

_You are allowed to use more then 'said' when you're describing the way someone talks. Really. If you do use 'said' then describing it can help to convey a character's emotions or feeling.  
_

"Hey Enzan!" Netto **exclaimed **cheerfully as he ran to catch up with the young IPC president.

Enzan turned to see the brunette heading his way and sighed. "Why is he here so early?" he **groaned** to his navi. "He picks the one day I'm so tired I probably wouldn't care if he was late to be on time."

Blues shrugged, trying in vain to hide his amused smile. "Maybe he wants to be on your good side today?" he **suggested**.

Enzan snorted rudely. "That'll be the day," he **muttered** as Netto finally caught up with him.

Netto ran up to Enzan as Enzan slowed to a stop to wait for him. Netto put his hands on his knees and caught his breath. "I have some awesome news!" he **announced**, finally.

Enzan raised an eyebrow and motioned silently for Netto to continue. Instead, Rockman took over the new telling. "Papa invited us to go to Jawaii with him during his research period over the summer!" Rockman **cheered**. "Isn't that great?"

Enzan nodded. "Wonderful," he **replied **dryly. "Why am I being told this?"

Netto grinned. "Because," he **said slyly**. "We were wondering if you'd like to come."

Enzan stopped, his dark mood suddenly lifting. His hardened features relaxed into a smile as he nodded. "Sure," he **consented**, obviously touched. "I'd like that."

_Other words that can be used: If someone is angry; yelled, growled, hissed, snarled, sneered or snapped. If someone is happy; laughed, said with a grin/smile, giggled, cheered, screamed (this can also be used when the person is upset, it depends on the context.) Neutral; asked/replied, inquired, responded, added, noted._

* * *

**Rule #8.** As illustrated by Prince of Tennis. (shush) 

_They're, their and there. Believe it or not, THERE is a difference._

Ryoma threw the ball into the air and hit it lightly with his racquet to test the strength of Momoshiro's return. Momo obliged his friend by hitting it back with as much power as he could without loosing control of the tennis ball. Ryoma returned it and waited to see if he got the same result.

On the other side of the fence Fuji stood, watching the match with his piercing gaze as Inui scratched out observations into his notebook. "**They're** really going at it today," Fuji noted.

Inui nodded, but didn't reply as he continued to watch the match.

Momoshiro dived at the ball, but came up short as it fell into the corner and bounced safely past his racquet. "Why do you keep on hitting it over **there**?" he complained.

Ryoma grinned and swung his racquet in a mock test swing. "It's your weak spot," he chided his friend. "And while the office members of this club are in **their** weekly meeting, I get to play how I want."

"Damn brat," Momo laughed as he picked up the ball. "Want another go?"

Ryome shrugged. "Sure, but it won't change anything."

"So you say," Momo shot back and threw the ball into the air. "Get this!" he yelled as he smacked the ball across the net.

_There is a placement word, 'over or under there'. They're is once again a contraction. They and are are the words that make it up. So, they're coming over and they're going to play are good examples. Their is a possession word, 'their meeting' 'their camp' etc._

* * *

**Rule #9.** As told by the Harry Potter characters. 

_Tense. There are three tenses. Past, Present and Future. Please try and stay in one tense in order to avoid confusion. Here are the differences._

Past.

Harry jumped onto his broom and rode into the sky. He took in a deep breath of the dewy night air as his hair whipped wildly around his face. Even if it was just for a few precious minutes, he knew he had to get away from the life that was smothering him below on the Earth.

In the air, he wasn't 'the boy who lived' or 'Harry Potter'. He was whoever he wanted to be. He was free.

Present.

Harry jumps onto his broom and rides into the sky. He takes in a deep breath of the dewy night air while his hair whips wildly around his face. Even if it is just for a few precious minutes, he knows he has to get away from the life that is smothering him below on the Earth.

In the air, he isn't 'the boy who lived' or 'Harry Potter'. He is whoever he wants to be. He is free.

Future.

_I won't write this is future tense, because no one writes in future tense unless talking of future happenings. Just know that if you slip into this tense, something is way off._

'He will jump onto his broom in order to escape the pressures of his life.' _Could be an example of a foreshadow of this scene._

* * *

**Rule #10.** As shown by the Totall Universe characters by Tamora Peirce. Namely, Alanna. 

_General fic rule, please don't pass between first, second and third persons or 'voices' while writing. It's can make a fic difficult to follow. If you have a hard time deciding, write out a scene in the voices you're having difficulty with and decide that way._

1st person.

I watch as the new girl awkwardly picks up a sword for the first time. No one knows I'm here but I like to drop by to see if there are any females who are bold enough to try and become knights in my footsteps. It's a funny thing, to watch these young girls in my older age and wonder if I ever looked like that.

She looks resolute as she steps out onto the grass and hoists up the piece of heavy metal. A grim determination tells me that no matter how many times she falls, she will get up again. I nod, happy.

Thank Mithros this kingdom finally is getting some females with backbone. Something in my creaking bones tells me we're going to need it.

_(This was also in present tense, see rule # 9 for more details.)_

2nd person.

You watch as the girl awkwardly picks up her sword for the first time. No one knows you are there, but you like to try by to see if any of the new girls are bold enough to become knights in your footsteps. To you, it's a funny thing to watch the girls in your later years f life. You wonder if you ever looked like that when you were younger.

To you, the girl looks resolute as she steps out onto the grass and hoists up the piece of heavy metal. You notice a grim determination about her that tells you no matter how many times she will fall, she will always get up again. You nod in approval of her attitude.

You thank Mithros for more girls coming into the knighthood training. Something in your bones tells you that your kingdom is going to need it.

3rd person  


She watched as the new girl awkwardly picked up her sword for the first time. No one knew she was there, but she liked to drop by to see if any of the new girls were bold enough to try and become knighted in her footsteps. To her, it was a funny thing, to watch the girls in her later years. She always wondered if she ever looked like that.

The girl looked resolute as she stepped out onto the grass and hoisted up the piece of heavy metal. A grim determination in her eyes told Alanna that no matter how many times she was to fall, she would always get up again. Alanna nodded in approval of the attitude silently.

The red headed warrior silently thanked the head God, Mithros for the recent trend in female recruiting into the knight service. Some told the old knight that they were going to need all the help they could get.

_As you can see, all three voices are very different and should be used in different circumstances. 1st person is excellent to use for insight into the character you are using to portray the voice. 2nd person is good for detailing the surroundings and situations as opposed to thoughts. 3rd person is good for a game narrative or a silly fic where the 'character' falls in love with you. But be careful, use the wrong voice and a fic can become very hard to write._

* * *

**Rule #11.** As demonstrated by the cast of Monk. 

_More or less of a warning then anything else. When introducing a new character, try and make them interesting. 'Mary Sues' and 'Gary Stus' are usually frowned upon in fiction. These are characters that are so perfect that they have no flaws, tragic backgrounds and everyone loves them. Everyone likes a three dimensional character and it's okay to give people flaws._

Monk stepped into the police station tentatively with Natalie behind him, quietly urging him on. He noticed that several papers were out of alignment on Captain Stottlemeyer's desk and he quickly set to the task of organizing them.

Stottlemeyer himself came into the room not long after with a young woman behind him. Monk glanced up briefly, then continued to arrange the papers.

Natalie looked embarrassed for her boss' sake and smiled at the woman who was holding a used tissue like a life preserver. "I'm sorry, we were called here."

The woman took in a shaky breath and tried to wipe away the trace of tears on her splotchy face. "It's all right," she said. "I-I think you're here to help me."

Stottlemeyer nodded. "This is Janet Anderson, mother of two. Her husband was found murdered two days ago. He was strangled, but also drugged. And I called you in…"

"She didn't do it," Monk murmured as he finally got the papers to lay the way he wished.

"Excuse me?" Stottlemeyer asked.

"She's your prime suspect, right?" Monk asked as the woman burst into a fresh wave of tears.

Stottlemeyer looked uncomfortable standing next to the crying woman. "Well…" he said slowly.

Monk pointed at her wrist. "You've had surgery," he told her as a fact. "I can see the scar. Carpal Tunnel's?" he asked.

The woman nodded and rubbed her wrists. "Yes, about two years ago."

"You're about due for another," Monk told her. "Your grip on your tissues…" he paused as he shivered at the sight of the crumpled paper in her hands. "It doesn't close all the way. I don't think you can make a fist, can you?"

The woman frowned and tried, then she winced and relaxed her grip. "No…" she said slowly. "I was going to go to the doctors in a few weeks…"

"Well, that would be a good idea," Monk told her. He looked up at his old friend. "What else?" he asked.

_So, we have a middle aged woman, upset, not very pretty (splotched face, she could be pretty but from the description we don't know) she's a victim and handling it in a realistic way. If I were to go on, it would be a good idea to add in other details such as hair color, eye color, possible weight and develop her as a somewhat mousey secretary who is strong willed when it comes to her children but not as much so as herself._

_Finding the right mixture of traits, personality, faults and quirks for an interesting OC is hard but doable. It just takes some practice._

* * *

**Rule #12.** As shown by the Shaman King characters. 

_This is more geared towards anime writers but, knowing the difference between the different 'endings' for names before using them can make a fic a lot more comprehensible. Also, don't randomly put Japanese into your fics. Especially if it's been dubbed. If a dub watcher comes in and sees 'sugoi, neko, kawaii, wai!' in a fic, they have no idea what that means. It's a good way to alienate a large portion of your possible reading base._

"Yoh-dono!" Amidamaru floated into Yoh's room and hovered above the teen. "Anna-sama is coming in."

Yoh sat up sleepily and looked around. "Anna?" he asked.

Amidamaru nodded. "She doesn't look very happy."

Yoh yawned as Anna came into his room. She looked very upset as she held up an empty container. "Did you eat the last cookie?" she snapped angrily.

Yoh was suddenly very awake and very afraid. He gulped slowly. "That was the last one?" he asked.

Anna growled and threw the container at her fiancé. Yoh fell over backwards with the container sticking comically out of his face. "Ow…" he said slowly.

"Yoh-dono…" Amidamaru murmured in a pitying voice.

_Amidamaru is a good example of a character who uses honorifics. He calls Yoh 'Yoh-dono' and Anna 'Anna-sama' no matter what. Mostly because he is the spirit of a dead samurai warrior. If you are unsure of what to have a character call another character, here is a list of frequently used honorifics and meanings._

**-chan **:_ Used between very familiar friends. Or, in some cases as a cutesy derogatory way to address someone. Like a bad guy trading banter with the hero might use –chan if he or she is creepy enough. Between school mates, this is gender based towards girls more then it is for boys. Although some girls with call close guy friends by –chan in some cases._

**-kun** : _Used on equal footing. Calling someone –kun is also gender based towards guys. So, a lot of times a girl will be called –chan and a boy will be called –kun, but not always._

**-san **: _Equivalent of 'mister' or 'misses' A polite way of addressing someone you don't know. Or someone you wish to show respect to._

**-sama** : _Equivalent of 'master' or 'mistress' A very polite way to address someone. A way to show great respect._

**-chama –bocchama** :_ Young master. A way to address a younger person with the same politeness level of –sama_

**-dono** : _From what I can tell, a way for samurai warriors to address their 'rulers' or 'masters' and it's a step up from –sama. If I'm wrong, please tell me and I'll fix it._

**-hakase** : _Professor, generally used for a scientist._

**-sensei** : _Used for a teacher, or doctor._

_**These are subject to change, but generally I wrote these as I've seen them used. I'm no Japanese major so these are far from something you'd want to be using as a serious source.**_

* * *

_If I come up with any more rules, or if you wish for me to write out and show examples of other rules, give me a shout through PM or review and I'll do my best to accommodate._

_Thanks for reading my little rant and I hope you enjoyed the small blurbs I used to show examples of the text._

_Thank you for reading this, and I hope you pass it on to someone who needs it._


End file.
